Difference between revisions of "Teach a Child Addition"

Helping your child learn the concept of addition will place his or her academic future on firm footing.  Most states have standards that aim for all first graders to know their addition (and subtraction) facts for sums up to 20.  Before kids can master their addition sums, however, they need to understand the nature of "adding."<ref name="rf1">http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/what-to-expect-grade/adding-and-subtracting</ref>  A variety of teaching tools can help you work effectively with your child or your classroom and make learning addition fun.

[[Category: Teaching Children Skills]]

#*Have the child combine these two groups of objects and count the total number of blocks.  Explain that he or she has "added" these groups together.<ref name="rf2">https://www.eduplace.com/math/mw/models/overview/k_11.html</ref>

#*Provide a set number of objects -- six Cheerios, for example -- and ask your child how many ways he or she can combine groups of Cheerios to make six.  She might create one group of five Cheerios, for example, and one group of one.<ref name="rf1" />

#*Demonstrate how you can "add" to a group of objects by stacking.  Start with a stack of three pennies, for example, and add two more to the stack.  Ask your child to count how many pennies are now in the stack.<ref name="rf2" />

#Group children and use their bodies as human "manipulatives."  In a classroom setting, take advantage of your young students' need to move around regularly by using them as human manipulatives.  Utilize tactics similar to those you'd use with objects to group and combine students and have them count themselves in different configurations.<ref name="rf2" />  (Stacking students is not recommended!)

#Consider having children create their own manipulatives.  Use modeling clay to create manipulative objects, or combine your addition lesson with an art lesson in using scissors to create a collection of paper shapes.<ref name="rf2" />

#Employ game pieces in new ways to create addition games.  Dice lend themselves easily to beginning addition games.  Have students roll two dice and practice adding the resulting numbers.  You may also use playing cards or dominoes.<ref name="rf1" /><ref name="rf3">http://www.busyteacherscafe.com/themes/add_sub_unit.html</ref>

#Count with coins.  Use money to practice adding ones, fives, tens, and even intervals of 25.  This tactic teaches money skills in addition to addition, and has the added benefit of demonstrating the practical advantages of learning addition.<ref name="rf1" />

#*Begin with horizontal number sentences.  Young children are already learning that they are supposed to write words and sentences "across" paper.  Following a similar practice with number sentences will be less confusing.  Once children have mastered this concept you may introduce the concept of vertical sums.<ref name="rf2" />

#Teach children the words that signify "addition."  Introduce terms such as "all together, "put together," "how many in all," "total," and "sum" that commonly indicate a child will need to add two or more numbers.<ref name="rf1" /><ref name="rf2" />

#Use "fact families" to help children understand number relationships.  Fact families show how the various numbers in an addition problem relate to each other.  Fact families often incorporate both addition and subtraction to help students understand the inverse relationship between these two skills.  The integers 4, 5, and 9, for example, are a "fact family," because 4 + 5 = 9; 5 + 4 = 9; 9 - 4 = 5; and 9 - 5 = 4.<ref name="rf1" />

#*Consider using milk cartons to illustrate "fact families."  Cover cartons with paper, or a wipe-clean surface if you'd like to re-use the cartons.  Have students list the integers of a fact family on the top of the carton -- for example, 4, 5, and 9.  Next, have them write one fact from these numbers' "fact family" on each of the carton's four sides.<ref name="rf3" />

#Instruct children in "skip counting."  Learning to count by twos, fives, and tens to 100 will improve your child's understanding of number relationships and begin to provide easy reference points.<ref name="rf1" />

#Encourage children to memorize "doubles."  "Doubles" are math facts such as "3 + 3 = 6" or "8 + 8 = 16."  Again, these facts provide easy reference points as students learn to add.  A child who knows instinctively that "8 + 8 = 16," for example, can more easily figure out the sum of "8 + 9" by simply adding one to the total.<ref name="rf1" />

#Use flash cards to stimulate memorization.  Try grouping cards by fact families to emphasize the relationships among these numbers.  While students should recognize how numbers interact with each other, rote memorization of basic math facts will provide a complementary foundation for moving on to more complicated arithmetic.<ref name="rf1" />

#*"Start unknown" problems -- for example, if Meredith receives three cars for her birthday and now she has five, how many cars did she have to start off with?<ref name="rf4">https://teachers.yale.edu/curriculum/viewer/initiative_07.06.01_u</ref>

#*"Compare" problems" involve an unknown in a compared set of values.  For example, if Geoff has seven cookies, and he has three more cookies than Laura, how many cookies does Laura have?<ref name="rf4" />

#Utilize books that teach addition concepts.  Reading- and writing-oriented children may especially benefit from books that incorporate addition themes.  Conduct a Web search for "teaching addition with books" to access lists of useful volumes compiled by educators.<ref name="rf5">http://www.the-best-childrens-books.org/teaching-addition.html</ref>